Two Games Athletes Have Been Awarded A Special Medal

New Zealand 5000m runner Nikki Hamblin and American Abbey D’agostina have been awarded special medals for sportsmanship.

The pair has been awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal, which has only been handed out 17 times in the Games history.

Hamblin tripped during the semi-final race and brought D’Agostina down with her.

However, D’Agostino was quickly back up on her feet and helped Hamblin up before encouraging her to run with her.

The American realised, however, that she had injured herself and urged Hamblin to race without her, which she refused to and the Kiwi and the American finished the race together.

An Olympic Committee statement said, “The D’Agostino and Hamblin story is one of humanity and sacrifice which has already captured the hearts of people across the globe.”

Hamblin said: “Winning this award is overwhelming. I am proud that what we did and truly believe that you can be both a competitor and kind and responsive at the same time. “Everyone comes here to compete but there are a lot of people who don’t achieve that, and the journey is really important too.

“That was one of those journeys, and it has gone on to be one of the most important moments of my life.”